Doesn't this seem like it could fit one of our temples? Maybe a little more color in the furnishings, but all the people wear white, so it balances.
That last line is what really made me stop and think, though: "a temple to light." We believe that Christ is the source of light, so for us a temple does not have to be either for God or light. It is both. Temples have more light than any other place I know. I love that we have so much understanding of the nature of the Godhead, so we aren't tempted to feel that a temple full of light might not be about God.
That was a very lovely quote. I agree with you that we have more understanding of God and His actions than a lot of others do. Christ is the Light and the Life of the world so all things are really directed towards Him. I somethimes think that when the earth is celestialized it will be a temple itself because all things on and in the earth were created by Christ for the glorification of God. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteSo I have read a Ring of Endless Light. I thought it was really well writen. The characters had substance to them and were really well developed. I found it interesting that the main girl, whose name has just left me but I will remember as soon as I post this, tried to deal with the upcoming death of her Grandfather through boys. I really don't think that is the best way to deal with issues and too many of our young girls today are doing that. It is all about boys. And yes, I used to be that way but looking back now I wish I would have focused more on my personal development than on pleasing someone who was not worth my time. That is similar to the main character and the rich boy. I felt by the end of the book she really saw no point in being around hime because he was draining on her emotional stability and a bit suicidal. Personally, if I was her I would be spending a lot more time with Grandpa than summer flings. Just me though. I did really like it and had a fun time reading it. What should be next on our list?
Shannon made me reserve wildwood dancing so I'm going to start reading that one. I would also like to read one of the churchy books you suggested jessica. I've been feeling like I need more spiritualness in my life lately..... how about surviving your blessings?
ReplyDeleteSurviving Your Blessings sounds like a fun one. I'll just have to find a way to get a copy...
ReplyDeleteAlso, about "A Ring of Endless Light.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I love about this book is that it's so honest. When there's a long-term problem like the grandfather's leukemia, one of the most human reactions is to run/hide from it. The older brother, John, discusses it with Vicky at one point, talking about how he spends extra time at the lab, Suzy runs away to her "job," Vicky hangs out with boys, and their dad buries himself in his work. Their mom and Rob, the youngest brother, are the only ones who don't seem to be running from it. That being said, Vicky actually spends more time with Grandfather than most of the other siblings; she reads to him every morning, and she's only gone afternoons or mornings here and there; rarely is she gone a whole day. Her parents asked her not to get a job, so she's there with her mom and grandfather most of the time. We just don't see as much of that because she's the narrator and she's trying not to think about it. Which is so human it's almost hard to accept.
One of my favorite things about this book, and one of the reasons I think every young girl should read it, is that it shows very clearly three different kinds of boy-girl relationships. I think so many YA books these days never get beyond the exciting, sensual, possibly dangerous kind of relationship, which is what Vicky has with Zachary. She finds him exciting, he makes her feel glamorous... but she recognizes that he's not very stable, and he ends up proving he won't be there when she needs help.
Then there's the relationship with Leo. He likes her, she just wants to be friends. That can be a tricky one to negotiate without hurting feelings or cutting off the relationship entirely; I had to deal with that a lot in high school. But some of those guys ended up being my best friends, and I think girls need to know that it's okay to have guys who are just friends.
And then, of course, there's Adam. He's a little older, more mature, and is actually doing something productive with his life. She's physically attracted to him, but there's more than that as well, and he turns out to have the mental and emotional depth and stability that Zachary was lacking. In one of my Creative Writing classes they asked us who our "book crush" was, and I picked Adam. I was in love with Adam when I was a teenager. I wanted to find a relationship that actually had depth to it. That's part of why I didn't date much as a teenager; none of the boys were ready for that type of relationship, and I wasn't old enough for that either.
Like I said, I think a lot of YA books these days get stuck on the glamorous, sensual, and exciting relationships. Stability is usually an afterthought; it's like they assume that if you're really, really attracted to each other, you'll make it through anything.
Also, I love the way L'Engle incorporates poetry and literature into her writing. She was a very well-read person, and I always feel smarter after reading one of her books. :-)